We followed up with Capelouto after reporting the state’s announcement yesterday that it would close most stores one or more days before the official transition to privatization next Friday. The last day for both West Seattle liquor stores will be next Tuesday, May 29th. Capelouto says he is one of a handful of new liquor-store owners who then will be opening their stores the first day possible, Friday, June 1st – as building owner, he said, he was able to “get a jump on” the process. (The state’s auction – in which Capelouto bid $225K for licensing rights – did not guarantee all bidders the right to the locations; they had to negotiate with property owners.)

He has plenty of retail experience, after all – as owner of the Shafrans clothing store in The Junction for more than 40 years, just steps away from Capco Plaza, which also is home to QFC and Petco stores and Altamira Apartments, as well as smaller storefronts on the building’s east side. He also was high bidder for a state liquor store he will operate in Issaquah.

Bottom line for the Junction location, he says, “West Seattle needs a fine liquor store. … I know the community wants to keep that store.” Though it will be open June 1st with, for starters, the same hours as the state has kept, he says it’ll be a work in progress and that there will be an official “grand opening” somewhere down the line.

Other West Seattle retailers planning to sell liquor include eight of the nine grocery stores (PCC Natural Markets [WSB sponsor] still hasn’t decided) and all four drugstores. (We’re checking on the Westwood state-store site.)

This is a big night for what was the Tuscan Tea Room Bistro (WSB sponsor) in The Junction – a winemaker’s dinner with Siren Song Wines and music by Pearl Django. The event is technically sold out but proprietor Aimee Pellegrini says there’s “limited seating at the bar.” But that’s not the really big news – she’s just renamed her establishment, which is now La Romanza Bistro Italiano, and expanded dinner service to another night! Here’s the announcement:

Kicking off with our sold-out wine dinner (tonight), we have finally, at the urging of our patrons and our good judgement, changed our name from ‘The Tuscan Tea Room’ to ‘La Romanza Bistro Italiano’. We are also expanding our dinner hours to add Wednesday nights. So, we will serve dinner and happy hour Wednesday through Saturday starting next week.

We are very excited about this change but also assure that these are the only changes. We offer our same dinner, lunch, brunch, and afternoon tea menus. We offer our wine list, cocktails and our 70+ fine teas and will soon have them available for purchase through our website as well.

About nine months after we opened we added dinner service as well as expanded lunch, brunch and dinner menus to include live jazz and happy hour. Our new name is more indicative of what we truly offer: a bistro experience with fine Italian cuisine.

Thank you for your ongoing support!

Aimee Pellegrini and La Romanza staff

ADDED 2:34 PM: Just discovered Aimee is featured in a cooking video online via the West Seattleite-produced “Brown Lounge” site – it’s a roasted-chicken recipe:

The actual recipe and other info can be found here.

This April marks West Seattle Cellars’ 17th year of doing business in West Seattle! Over the years we have seen lots of change, but our goal has always remained the same: To help our customers discover their own unique palates, and find wines they love at prices they can afford.

What We’d Like You to Know About Us

•We carry a huge selection of wines — with extensive offerings from the Northwest, France, Italy, and Germany, as well as from lesser-known regions around the world. If we don’t have a wine, we’re always happy to try to track it down and order it!

•We offer wines in all price ranges, from rare and limited wines for serious collectors to our well-stocked bins of wines from around the world — all under $10. We taste nearly every wine we bring in, and each one must earn a place on our shelves, whether it is $8 or $380.

•We hold a free wine tasting every Thursday evening with a different theme each week, plus a monthly Saturday tasting featuring a Washington winemaker. Our tastings are relaxed and informal, and we encourage people to try new wines, ask questions, and discover new favorites.

•We have six monthly wine clubs tailored to different interests, from every-day drinkers to highly collectable wines. Our club members are always telling us how much they love being introduced to great new wines that they would have never tried on their own.

Over the years we’ve enjoyed being part of the West Seattle community. We are highly involved with the West Seattle Helpline’s Taste of West Seattle every year, and Westside School’s annual fundraising auction, as well as other local fundraising efforts. We’ve been a member of the Morgan Junction Community Association for the past 12 years, and we’ve been supporting local artists via the West Seattle Art Walk since 2009. We also work closely with the Northwest Wine Academy at South Seattle Community College as an active member of their Technical Advisory Committee.

In celebration of our 17th anniversary, we’d like to extend an invitation to new customers by offering a 10% discount on your first visit (6026 California SW), during the month of April. Just click our ad in the right-hand column to learn more.

We thank West Seattle Cellars for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news on WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.

EVENT #1: Check out the all-star crew we photographed Tuesday night at Company Bar in White Center, previewing Hi-Yu Brü before it goes out to the masses this Friday night! Proprietors of establishments participating in the release of the next West Seattle/White Center benefit beer gathered tonight with friends at Company for a tasting of sorts. As of 6 pm this Friday, Company is one of the places – along with Shadowland, Feedback Lounge, West 5, The Feedback Lounge, Mission, Big Al Brewing (which makes Hi-Yu Brü), The Bridge, Locöl, and Beveridge Place Pub. Also in the photo, by the way – front and center, in the gray-green shirt, that’s Tian Richardson, who came up with the winning name.

EVENT #2: At Tian’s left in the dark shirt is The Feedback’s Matt Johnson, who figures prominently in this next announcement about a separate benefit event coming up next month: Feedback Lounge has signed on as cocktail sponsor for WestSide Baby‘s upcoming “Shake, Rattle, and Roll” cocktail party benefit at The Hall at Fauntleroy on May 18th. (We’re told Matt himself will be there as guest master mixologist.) Tickets are available now; read on for the announcement of what’s new with the party plan:

WestSide Baby is hosting a benefit cocktail party and The Feedback Lounge has generously signed on to be the Signature Drink Sponsor! Amy Daly-Donovan, member of WestSide Baby Board of Directors, shares, “We are thrilled to announce that Matt Johnson and Jeff Gilbert at the Feedback Lounge enthusiastically agreed to partner with us for our Shake, Rattle & Roll party! Featuring Feedback Lounge cocktails makes the event that much more fun and their in-kind support helps us ensure that every dollar raised on May 18th will go toward our programs. Thank you Feedback Lounge!”

The community is invited to join WestSide Baby and Honorary Event Chairs Scott & Deborah Hazlegrove for a spectacular, fun-filled evening of rockin’ music, fabulous cocktails, and more … all for a great cause! Grab your tickets today before they sell out.

The news of Feedback Lounge’s partnership adds to other generous gifts of talent and treasure for the evening. Marty Riemer, of 103.7, “The Mountain” and fellow West Seattleite, will EmCee. Live music will be performed by local West Seattle band Not Dead Yet and a generous donor has offered to underwrite the costs of all the food for the evening. “WestSide Baby likes to keep fun involved in our fundraisers and community support with gifts like this mean that we can have a great evening and raise money to help local children in need without spending donor dollars on event costs. I am continuously amazed by Seattle’s generous spirit,” says Nancy Woodland, WestSide Baby Executive Director.

Additionally the event will feature a “petite but lively” auction (Spring Break ’13 in Palm Desert, anyone?), delicious appetizers by Tuxedos & Tennis Shoes, great beer and wine and fun chances to win free drinks. Party-goers will have also an opportunity to make a meaningful gift to WestSide Baby.

Special thanks to WestSide Baby’s Premier Event Sponsor: Lake Partners Strategy Consultants.

For questions about the event, sponsoring, volunteering or donating to the silent or live auctions auction please contact Interim Director of Development, Heidi Thomson or Board Member Amy Daly-Donovan.

Newest West Seattle applications: Both Rite Aid stores – Westwood Village and California SW south of The Junction.

Previously reported West Seattle applications: Metropolitan Market in Admiral (WSB sponsor), Bartell Drugs (Admiral and Jefferson Square stores), Walgreens (16th/Roxbury and High Point stores), Target (Westwood Village), West Seattle Thriftway, QFC (Junction and Westwood Village stores), Safeway (Admiral, Jefferson Square, Roxbury stores)

Remember, this is NOT the final list of who’ll be selling liquor in West Seattle – sales can’t start before June 1st, and qualifying businesses can apply at any time. (Before last week’s update, we checked with PCC Natural Markets (WSB sponsor), which hadn’t decided.)

Also checking in on the auction for the current state-store locations’ licenses: Bidding started at $1,000 each, as reported here March 8th – the Westwood-location license is up to $4,050, while the Junction-location license bidding is up to $7,100. Bidding is also open for all locations’ licenses together, and that’s now at $551,100, more than double what it was last week. Bidding continues into April.

Sometime in the next few days, wander past The Beer Junction‘s new location at 4511 California SW (first reported here last July), and you just might find the store in “soft open” mode. Proprietor Morgan Herzog will reopen with new features, not just a new storefront. Some are small – like the shopping carts on the left side of our top photo – some are large, like the added bar:

And then there are the familiar features, like Pliny the Oscar:

What about the beer, you ask? (And the other beverages?) 1,250 types of beer fill the refrigerated cases along the store’s walls – here’s the north side:

1,250 is not only double what Morgan opened his former location (across from Jefferson Square, on the site of <strong>Equity Residential‘s future mixed-use project), that’s also about 200 more than he had in stock when he closed that store earlier this month to finish the move. He’s also stocking 100 hard ciders, 50 meads, and 90 wines, plus assorted merchandise including T-shirts and mugs. Hours will be the same as the old location for starters, including Monday closures.

HI-YU BRÜ, the third of three Big Al Brewing charity beers, benefiting the West Seattle and White Center communities, arrives just days from now. In a three-week contest to name the beer, HI-YU BRÜ, the entry by TIAN RICHARDSON of West Seattle, was chosen from more than 300 submitted titles. (The contest was only open to West Seattle and White Center residents).

“I am thrilled to have my beer name HI-YU BRÜ chosen to represent our West Seattle/White Center communities,” says Tian. “Hi-Yu, which means ‘much, plenty, abundance’ in native Chinook jargon, will undoubtedly bring just that to all of us in the form of…well…beer, and will also bring help to those in need in our communities.”

For the beneficiary of the sales percentage of HI-YU BRÜ, Tian has chosen the Holy Rosary Parish Ministries, which has a number of different local benefits in the West Seattle community, from meals for the elderly/low-income, to a weekend women’s shelter.

On Friday, April 6, 2012, 6 PM, nine West Seattle/White Center bars and restaurants will introduce HI-YU BRÜ to the neighborhood, with each establishment pledging a portion of the sales to the chosen charity. The beer, crafted by Big Al Brewing, is hoppier styled IPA and will be exclusively available at The Feedback Lounge, West 5, Shadowland, Mission, Big Al Brewing, The Bridge, Locöl, Beveridge Place Pub, and Company Bar until April 26, 2012. After April 26, any venue with a liquor license will be able to buy and offer HI-YU BRÜ to their customers.

“It was extremely challenging to pick a winning name for the beer,” says Feedback Lounge co-owner and charity beer organizer, Jeff Gilbert. “There were so many amazing suggestions, the judges had a hard time deciding. Some of the more fun ones were Alki “Pasty Leg” Ale, Pirate’s Landing Pale Ale, Gatewood Grog, Lincoln Lager, Innocent Amanda Ale, Viaduct Fail Ale, Rolling Roxbury, and Wes C. Addle Pale Ale. Makes me wish we were releasing 10 more beers.”

This is the third in a series of Big Al Brewing-brewed beers with proceeds benefiting local charities. The previous two were Löwman Bräu and Whale Tail Ale.

Newest West Seattle applications: Metropolitan Market in Admiral (WSB sponsor), Bartell Drugs (Admiral and Jefferson Square stores), Walgreens (16th/Roxbury and High Point stores), Target (Westwood Village)

Previously reported West Seattle applications: West Seattle Thriftway, QFC (Junction and Westwood Village stores), Safeway (Admiral, Jefferson Square, Roxbury stores)

This is not likely the final list of who’ll be selling liquor in West Seattle – sales can’t start before June 1st, and qualifying businesses can apply at any time. Meanwhile, the fate of the current state liquor stores remains unsettled. The auction for the locations’ licenses continues; bidding started at $1,000, as reported here March 8th – the Westwood-location license is up to $3,050 (as of right before publication of this story, anyway), while the Junction-location license bidding is up to $5,100. Bidding is also open for all locations’ licenses together, and that’s now at $266,700. (And one final note – the legal fight over the liquor-privatization initiative isn’t over yet.)

ADDED 2:48 PM: Since PCC Natural Markets (WSB sponsor) is the only currently-in-business West Seattle grocery store that hasn’t applied for a license, we checked with the company to see if they’re planning to. Spokesperson Diana Crane’s reply: “The straight answer is that we’re still considering this opportunity and haven’t reached any decisions yet.”

NAME THE NEXT WEST SEATTLE/WHITE CENTER CHARITY BEER A COMMUNITY-WIDE CONTEST MARCH 1, 2012 – MARCH 18, 2012

~ brought to you by ~ Big Al Brewing, The Feedback Lounge, West 5, Shadowland, Mission, The Bridge, Locöl, Beveridge Place Pub and Company Bar

It’s that time again and we’re about to premiere the third of three West Seattle/White Center charity beers crafted by BIG AL BREWING – and we’re inviting YOU to give it a name!

Last year we debuted LÖWMAN BRÄU (named after West Seattle’s Lowman Beach) and WHALE TAIL ALE (in homage to the famous whale tale sculpture on the Alki Elementary playground). This year the naming rights are given over to the West Seattle/White Center communities and all the prestige that comes with it!

Come up with a name that is West Seattle/White Center-centric and e-mail it to us. The author/authorette of the winning name will receive a $25 gift certificate from THE FEEDBACK LOUNGE, WEST 5, MISSION, SHADOWLAND, LOCÖL, BIG AL BREWING, THE BRIDGE, BEVERIDGE PUB PLACE and COMPANY BAR ($225 value), along with a T-shirt from each of these fine establishments ($150 value).

That’s not all:

… you and three guests will be invited to the advance tasting party, and you’ll get to pick the West Seattle/White Center charity of your choice to benefit from a percentage of the sales of YOUR BEER, and get your picture/bio on YOUR BEER’S website, plus all bragging rights and international neighborhood fame are yours exclusively.

“The West Seattle and White Center communities have been extraordinarily supportive with our first two charity beers,” says Feedback Lounge co-owner, Jeff Gilbert. “So we thought it’d be a fun idea to let the communities name the next one. And just so we’re clear, this contest is only open to West Seattle and White Center residents; it just wouldn’t do to have a Ballardite name our beer.”

This is on the poster at right, but not big enough to see, so: E-mail entries to feedbacklounge@gmail.com. Full rules etc. can be seen here.

That’s Tammy, who, with husband Pete, has just opened Alki Juice and Java across from Seacrest. (The space they have taken over was longtime home to Bubbles.) Tammy e-mailed us to share the news about their new business (she shared the photo too), and says:

The menu consists of fresh organic juice options, as well as smoothies made with frozen fruit and juice, and espresso. We already have an amazing mix of customers, residents nearby, scuba divers, Coast Guard employees, water taxi commuters, and people out for a stroll along the water.

No website yet, but Tammy says it’ll be up soon. Alki Juice and Java is open 7 am-4 pm weekdays, 8 am-4 pm weekends.

ADDED 2:09 PM: For commenter “Coffee” and anyone else who wondered – Tammy says they’re using coffee from Zoka.